As President Buhari vacated the seat of power on May 29th, before his ceremonial exit, there was a need for him to have probed the management of Ecological Fund under his watch to clear doubts in some minds. If he had thoroughly probed the Ecological Fund, many souls of those criminals who butchered the Fund could have been in the correctional facilities serving jail sentences apart from seizures of illegally acquired properties.
The Ecological Fund was established in 1981 with a clear mandate of solving serious ecological problems that include; flooding, soil erosion, drought, desertification, oil spillage, general environmental pollution, tornadoes, storms, bush fire, crop pests, landslides, earthquakes, as well as to possibly prevent other created sufferings and possible death from natural disasters.
On establishment, the Fund was surviving on one percent of the total revenue collections of the Federal Government, but as time went on, its subvention was increased to two percent or above from federal earnings which is grossly mismanaged through different dubious claims of contracts awarded to fronts, crooks and rogues that supported corrupt practices to flourish.
At its establishment, it was only the President-In-Council that made approvals for the release of requested funds for execution of projects through the National Committee on Ecological problems, NCEP, an inter-ministerial body appointed in 1985 and headed by the Minister for Environment. It was an advisory body to the president on the disbursement and management the Fund, collation of proposed projects through four sub-committees, and implementing presidential approvals for the proposed projects.
In between 2007-2015 Nigeria set aside an average of N48, 055, 829, 613 yearly as ecological fund. Thus, a total of N432, 502, 466, 521 accrued to the Fund within that period alone. Out of the amount, 57 percent, N245, 721, 482, 473, was realized in four years, 2011 – 2014, when the country was financially buoyant from the rise in crude oil price.
All deployed efforts towards the fight against ecological disasters and problems were only good on paper not physically on the ground for any benefit most especially during the tenure of Habiba Muda Lawal.
Details of an investigation discreetly conducted on the management of ecological fund since inception across the six geo-political zones of the country, most especially at the period of Habiba Muda Lawal, shows that the implementation of ecological projects was ineffective and a complete abuse of the intention.
Part of the report stated that most of the funds released for earmarked projects were characterized by serious mismanagement, diversion, substandard and abandoned while certified as completed and fully paid and the threats of ecological problems continue to wreak havoc across the country including loss of lives. In several cases, projects costing billions of naira were certified as completed by government engineers, other concerned officials and the criminally-minded project inspectors/supervisors but in reality are not completed but paid within a twinkle of an eye for sharing the booty.
The report further revealed that in four of the six states in the Northeast sub-region visited for facts-finding by this writer, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Gombe, several projects listed by the Ecological Fund Office as completed and fully paid, are in reality either not completed or shoddily executed while some could not even be located anywhere which indicates non-existence but paid. At least eight of such projects were discovered, six of which were listed by the EFO as completed, which symbolizes the wasteful utilization of public funds to the tune of over N2.2billion that went the drain, possibly private vaults of the hardened criminals.
In some areas visited, residents were hopeful and anxiously waiting for the return of the contractors to sites to complete their projects, but were downcast when the reality hit them that they had been duped by their own very government, realizing the bitter truth that the threat to their lives and livelihoods would remain with them or even get worse with time.
For instance, in Kardam and Baraza villages visited in Bauchi State, the villagers were shocked to hear that their villages had benefitted from over N400million contract for the construction of erosion control projects in 2007. The contract, valued at N442, 379, 368, was awarded to Anbeez Services Limited and was to be completed in 2008. It was for four villages, Baraza, Kardam and ‘Bazil’ all in Dass local government area of Bauchi State and in Rimin Zayam of Toro local government in same Bauchi State.
Although, the Ecological Fund Office had listed the projects as completed, it was discovered that in the two benefitting local governments, there was no village called and identified as Bazil to have benefitted from the project which shows a clear case of a scam.
Baraza and Kardam villages are separated by a river that overflows its banks during rainy season. When it rains heavily, farmlands, houses, schools and roads are submerged in water, with the people forced to stay indoors for fear of their lives. The contractor had since abandoned the contract after constructing culverts, leaving the drainages untouched. As a result, erosion has continued to wash away farmlands and houses, leaving the frightened natives in fear of the unknown while the criminally-minded managers of the Fund in collaboration with the thieving contractor are there enjoying their loot.
While Baraza and Kardam were fortunate to have culverts without drainages, Rimin Zayam was very unlucky to have got zero projects as there are none to show but promptly paid by EFO.
A vital ecological project for the construction of an erosion control on a road linking the three villages of Bundot, Dot and Bazali was left uncompleted by the contractor, Angaz Nigeria Limited which was awarded the contract at the sum of N319, 708, 462, out of which N240million was paid.
If the project had seen the light of the day, it could have been of great benefit to commuters and farmers but the contractor only reconstructed or renovated existing culverts. In all, there were 41 culverts including old dilapidated ones.
In spite of the substandard culverts, erosion and flooding pose serious danger to the villages, especially in Bazali where farmlands and residences are prone to flooding. It was discovered that in 2012, more than 100 residences were washed away in the community with a paltry compensation paid to victims.
In Gombe State, it is a similar story. At Ashaka which hosts Lafarge one of the largest cement manufacturing companies in the country, no project could be located at any roundabout as claimed by the Ecological Fund Office. A document obtained from EFO shows that the Ashaka roundabout erosion and flood control project was built between October 2008-August 2010 by Amtess Nigeria Limited at a whooping cost of N138,271,382.
However, the said project could not be located anywhere as of the time of my visit to the area as also confirmed by residents of the area including traditional rulers that the project was non-existence in their community. Where then is the project located if it was truly executed and why was it paid?
From several reports investigated, the Ecological Fund Office is nothing more than another drainpipe of public resources, frittering away billions on fake projects. The Fund primarily acts as a disbursing office and while it does not initiate projects, it monitors and approve for completion.
Thus, it is curious that the EFO has several projects listed as completed and fully paid when in reality they are either abandoned, poorly executed or not executed at all but paid from reports of supervisors/inspectors that are more criminal than dreaded kidnappers for ransom.
Nigeria’s ecological fund has for long been seen as political funds rather than what it was budgeted for. A close contact with EFO will convince any doubting mind that more attention is deployed to funding politicians and their parties than channeling the budgeted funds to ecological purposes. This is done to curry favor for business as usual and stability of the criminals in office while the country bleeds.
The tenure of Habiba Muda Lawal as head of the fund before her retirement in style and subsequent unmerited political appointment, by former president Muhammadu Buhari was alleged to be the worst ever since the establishment of EFO that calls for discreet investigation to expose several hidden suspected scandals that may lead to other exposures for reprimand and retrieval of properties acquired with slash funds for the good of Nigeria.
President Tinubu should as a matter of urgent importance appoint a high-powered committee to investigate all contracts awarded in the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari including the stewardship of NNPCL, NDDC, NIMASA, NiMET, FAAN, NPA, TETFUND, FIRS, NCS, NIS,RBDAs, NEMA, NEDC managements and few others. Not only that, identities of owners of those contracting companies should be exposed as most are either civil servants or lawmakers.
Most of those sampled organizations are stinking corruption, diversion and stealing of public funds. Nigeria needs sanity in its operations at this critical time if Tinubu is the serious president he wants us to believe!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
